Protect Your Knees from ‘Chair Pose’

“Chair Pose” (Utkatasana or Arhda Utkatasana, depending on the teacher), is a pose with many benefits.

But, it also comes with risk, particularly the knees over a long period of time.

Start by viewing the video, which explains modifications that I do while in this pose in order to make it more effective and safe:

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What makes it risky?

In order to better understand what exactly makes it so dangerous to bring the knees forward, I created a GIF.

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As you can see, I here point out the Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) since it is the structure that gets the most tightening that happens. This type of tension is problematic for all of the ligaments of the knee, but ACL is especially vulnerable.

In another post I will cover the other two things that you must take care of in order to maintain healthy knees…